January 6, 2021

1 Leadership Thought

There are only two types of meetings you need to run: debate meetings and decision meetings.

This week's thought will focus on debate meetings. Next week's thought will focus on decision meetings.

Usually, when you get that notification saying a meeting's been canceled, your initial reaction is, "Yes! Now I can do stuff that really matters." This is a sign that the meetings you're in are ineffective and unimportant. This might be because those meetings are:

  • Long status updates that could have been sent in an email

  • Too short to figure out the thing that actually matters

  • Spiraling discussions that leave you wondering, "Now what?"

Save everyone time by using debate meetings and decision meetings. Debate meetings gather the information you need. Decision meetings utilize that information to initiate the best plan of action.

Good debates have diversity of perspectives & inclusion of voices.

Cooking tastes bad using half the recipe.

Puzzles are harder with a partial box top.

Getting somewhere takes longer with little direction.

Good decisions emerge from considering the full picture. (Share this on Twitter)

Here are 3 things to consider for good debate meetings:

  • Get all the voices in the room: How will your project or initiative affect moms and families? Different ethnicities? What does it do for people with different SES backgrounds? What will different age brackets think? Get these people in the room. They may not be a part of the decision-making group, but you need their voices. Their perspectives are worthy and valuable to be considered.

  • Send an agenda beforehand: Give the time people need to prepare what they want to communicate. Send an agenda days, if not weeks in advance. Tell them what the meeting time will look like, what you hope their perspective will add to the overall project or initiative, and what the goal of the meeting is.

  • Make it safe: You need people's unique perspectives, which means you have to help people feel comfortable to really share. The point of the debate meeting is to hear and receive from different voices, not for anybody to impose their own. Do whatever it takes to achieve safety for people to share what they really think.

1 Resource

Morten T. Hansen on more robust discussion:

"The whole point of meetings is to have discussions that you can’t have any other way. And yet most meetings are devoid of real debate.

To improve the meetings you run, and save the meetings you’re invited to, focus on making the discussion more robust...debate the issues, consider alternatives, challenge one another, listen to minority views, and scrutinize assumptions.

Here are six practical tips:

  • Start by asking a question, not uttering your opinion.

  • Help quiet people speak up (and don’t let the talkers dominate).

  • Make it safe for people to take risks — don’t let the sharks rule.

  • Take the contrarian view.

  • Dissect the three most fundamental assumptions.

  • Cultivate transparent advocates (and get rid of the hard sellers)."

Source: How to Have a Good Debate in a Meeting - Harvard Business Review

1 Question

What challenge did someone make to you that has changed your life?